Welcome to HVAC-Talk.com, a non-DIY site and the ultimate Source for HVAC Information & Knowledge Sharing for the industry professional! Here you can join over 150,000 HVAC Professionals & enthusiasts from around the world discussing all things related to HVAC/R. You are currently viewing as a NON-REGISTERED guest which gives you limited access to view discussions

To gain full access to our forums you must register; for a free account. As a registered Guest you will be able to:

Participate in over 40 different forums and search/browse from nearly 3 million posts.

I have been in the trade for a short time. I am just currious about how some things work with other company's.

The first thing is how do most company's work standby time or on call time? Is the tech payed to carry the phone. Meaning on the weekends when they are on call do they have to go in and work, or are they getting payed to be on call and doing what ever it is they do until the call comes in.

The other thing is is there any say over anything, or is it just this is the way things are going to be and thats it. I am just currious because of some management decisions.

I am getting very frustrated with the trade and it may just be me or I need to do somthing else. So i am looking into answers on a few different things from all people to make my decision as to what I should do.

I was not asking about money I was asking about how other company's work there on call time. What I wanted to know was do most companys pay you like 4 hours a weekend tobe on call even if you do not have service call. And do you have to go out and be working to get that 4 hours,Or can you do what ever you want on the weekends and just have the phone by your side.

I have never gotten paid for being on call, it is part of the job description. However, if my guys go out they get overtime, even if they were short hours that week, I also pay them port to port. They take their vans home every night, I buy the gas and pay for it, that in itself is a big bonus. It is also standard for a tech to take his van home. one of my techs lives about 20 miles out in booneyville. But he still takes his van home.

Carrying the pager is THE WORST part of my job. I hate it, hate it, hate it.
I often wondered just what it would cost me to hand that frikin thing back to them in a paper bag. In very, vary small pieces.

One week outa five, I've got to carry that POS with me 24/7. Forget about having any kind of personal life.
No extra pay unless I'm called out. Granted, it's time plus half, Sunday double. BFD, still it ain't worth it IMO.
Every little 'beep' that even sounds close to it, like the microwave, makes me go "Oh ****" as my heart drops into my gut.

70% of the calls lately have been 'nuisance' calls, be it some dip**** truck driver that can't read a map or can't operate a combo lock (stupid f**ks use part of our yard as a drop yard), to the clean up boy calling in sick at 6:45 Saturday morning, WTF ???.
And these can come at ANY hour between 6PM and 7AM. 24hrs Sat&Sun.

Being an owner I would say that if there is one thing that I would do away with if possible would be; having a man on call.

Our company does not make any money for a man being on call. Generally if a customer has to pay overtime he can find away around his problem until regular hours. The other customers who call and demand service, on the off hours, are people who have equipment that is in warranty. In which case the company is losing money but at time and a half.

The way our company works it is that a man takes on-call for a week at a time--7 days. He get $75. for standing by. The man on call has a beeper. Of course he gets time and half for overtime if he gets called out.

where i'm at i get to take the truck home everyday all 65 freakin miles home. we get $100 for the week your on call. we get paid all but 30 mins from door to door. we only get overtime if we break 40 hrs but i think every other company pays time and a half no matter. we never charge the customer overtime and we consider someone wanting a regularly scheduled maintenance inspection a friggin emergency. we don't run 24 hours though and we do get to go to bed at midnight.

will 2

Man I wish I was as lucky as you.I'm on call every OTHER week.Been doing that for past 9years.But I do agree with you 100%.It's been in the low 70's here in western Ky.and to here some of these people you'd think it was july already! Boss just says to ignore them for now.You really learn how spoiled/soft this country has gotten,but it sure is nice on payday!And what's the deal with these customers that say " I GOT KIDS" Well so do I,and I'd like to see them once in a while.Oh well. Just my thoughts.Oh yeah,one more thing.Seems like you can wait for hell to freeze over waiting for a doctor to call back if you have a sick kid,but if that same doctor calls @2:00A.M. we're there within 30mins.to an hour!
Sorry for the rant, but this thread struck a nerve and I got on a roll.

Originally posted by genuinejd
I am getting very frustrated with the trade and it may just be me or I need to do somthing else. So i am looking into answers on a few different things from all people to make my decision as to what I should do.

When I first started in this business, I wanted to quit my job everytime I was in the office. Fortunately I wasn't in the office much. But even when I was hopping mad at the "idiots" I worked for, I would go on a call, roll up my sleeves and get busy. It was then I realized I loved the work I did, just not the people I worked for. Find what you really enjoy doing, do the very best you can, and if it pays the bills, you will be happier than 99% of the people you will ever meet!

Thanks to all who have responded. I got what I wanted from all of your posts. The reason I was asking is becuase the company that I work for just came up with a new rule, that while on call you have to come on saturday to work at least 4 hours! Because they are not going to pay you to sit and watch cartoons on the weekend, when you are on call. I said, "then don't pay me until I get a service call, and then start the clock" but they said "no, you will start working Saturdays." I find this to be B.S. That was never part of the deal when I started.

The way it seems to me is that the company is not to worried about what the techs think or want, as long as they (the company)are making money. I am starting to get frustrated with all of it. I can find a job in no time and I am starting to think about looking. Possibly getting out of the trade.